Question:
i don't have a camper or RV but I'd like to be able to have air
conditioning for situations where I'd pull over and sleep a few hours
or overnight on the road in my car or truck. What I'm thinking of is
either mounting the equipment in the truck bed or on a receiver hitch
carrier behind the car. I would like to get one of those 5,200 BTU
window air conditioners and hook it up to a Honda EU1000i generators.
I don't need a generator for a refrigerator, lights, or TV, only the
A/C.
My question:
Does the air conditioner have to PHYSICALLY be mounted either
inside or partially inside the vehicle in order to get the thermostat
to respond properly and enable the A/C to cycle on and off repeatedly.
Reason for this is that if I mount it in the truck bed, I'd run a
flexible 6" round duct to an opening in the truck or car. If it's
mounted remote and the thermostat isn't in the car or truck, it seems
that the compressor and fan would run continuously.
Answer:
You would need to mount a thermostat inside the vehicle in order to get the
proper temperature regulation. Even though the A/C unit would cycle on and
off uisng the built-in thermostat, you'll want to have access to the
thermostat in order to set the desired temperature. You'll need at least two
air ducts--one for the supply (cold) air, and one for the return (warm)
air--and I don't think that 6" ducts are large enough.
You would need two ducts- supply and return. The thermostat
could be mounted in the return duct, and should work that way.
A couple of thoughts- the 5200 would likely be undersized- you
might get away for it at night, but that is about it. With any kind of
heat load, it probably wouldn't keep you cool.
That said, you might check out "portable" air conditioners-
like those found here: http://www.coolyourroom.com/ - click on air
conditioners> portable air conditioners. These units use a duct to
exhaust the hot air, rather than vice versa. You do need a drain for
the condensate, though.
I would probably spring for the EU2000 for one of these units.
